Card holder



Oct. 29, 1957 F. A. McDANlEL CARD HOLDER Filed Oct. 31, .1955

Fig. 2

INVENTOR. Fred A. M DQnieI ATLORNEY United States Patent O CARD HOLDERFred A.. McDaniel, Denver, Colo. Application October-31, 1955, SerialNo. 543,753 3 Claims. (61. 273-150 This invention relates to facilitiesuseful in the play ing of card games to hold, to retain in variousdesired arrangements, and topresent for inspection and use the separatecards comprising. the hand of an individual player, and has as an objectto provide a: novel and improved' such facility characterized byenhanced convenience and utility.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedconstruct-ion and organization of elements constituting a card holderfor individual use intheplaying of card games.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for playingcards that is capable of securely retaining a large variable number ofindividual cards without damage thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for playingcards that accommodates convenient edge insertion and removal ofindividual cards with no ma terial disturbance of other and adjacentcards mounted therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for playingcards that is susceptible of adjustment at will to vary the retentivepressure applied to the cards mounted therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for playingcards that is adapted for inexpensive production from readily-availablematerials in any expedient or desired range of sizes, that is durableand long-lived in repetitious use, and that is positive and etficient inattainment of the ends for which designed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists inthe construction, arrangement, and operative combination of elements ashereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front face elevation of atypical embodiment of the invention as arranged for practical use;broken lines in the view representing conventional playing cards asassociated with the holder.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section similar to the upper portion of Figure2 illustrating a modification within the contemplation of the invention.

The difficulties of holding and manipulating individual hands of cardsin the playing of many popular card games are so well known as toobviate occasion for elaboration. Efforts directed to the easing of suchdifiiculties have resulted in the provision of various types andconstruction of card holders for individual player use, but all knownsuch devices have been less than adequate in one or another respect,hence the instant invention is directed to the provision of a novel andimproved such device characterized by a unique and simple constructionof enhanced convenience and utility.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, a primary element of the improvedcard holder is a fiat, substantiallv ICC rigid member formed in anydesired manner and of any appropriate light-weight material, such asheavy paperboard, plywood, pressed wood, molded or fabricated plastic,or the like, to present a generally-circular head portion 10 and anintegral handle portion 11' extending radially from said head portion.Margins of the head portion 10 and of the" handle portion 11. may becontoured as may be desired for-purposes of attractive design and tofacilitate gripof the handle portion by the human hand, and the size andrelative proportions of said head and handle portions may be varied asmay be deemed expedient in adapting the improvement for variousparticular uses with cards' of various dimensions, all with consequentobvious variation in the capacity of a given holder construction.

concentrically and loosely overlying one face of the head portion 10, arelatively thick disc 12 of highly resil ient material having a highcoefficient of" friction, such as sponge of foam rubber, or the like, isprovided in a diameter considerably less than that of the associatedhead portion, whereby to leave" an annular marginal. border of the headportion flat surface exposed peripherally of and uniformly about saiddisc; and a circular plate I3, of substantially rigid materialexpediently the same as" that from which the head and handle portions 10and 11 are formed, loosely and concentrically overlies the face of" thedisc 12 remote from the associated head per: tion 10 in a diameterslightly less than that of the disc to effect a consequent exposure ofan annular area of the disc face peripherally of and uniformly aboutsaid plate. Holes formed centrally through the head portion 10, disc 12,and plate 13 determine through coaxial registration the desiredinterrelation of said elements and as so registered accommodate a headedpin 14, rivet, or equivalent fastener, entered therethrough and securedat its ends to bear against the fully exposed faces of the head portion10 and plate 13, preferably with some moderate compression of the discarea underlying said plate, in such manner as to unite and securely holdthe said elements in the operative correlation shown and described and,desirably, to associate said elements for independent, relative rotationabout their common axis.

Alternative to the foregoing and as represented by Figure 3, thefastener 14 of fixed-length type may be replaced by a threaded bolt 14,or the equivalent, wherewith a nut 15 bearing against the exposedsurface of the head portion 10 coacts in a customary manner to unite theelements of the assembly with provision for selective adjustment in theeffective length of the element 14' applicable to vary the compressionimposed upon the disc 12 by the plate 13.

In the practical use of the improvement constructed as shown anddescribed, the assembly is gripped and manipulated by means of thehandle portion 11 to oppose the plate 13 to the view of the user. Theindividual cards of the players quota are separately engaged with theholder in any desired order and arrangement through edge, corner, orside insertion thereof between the loosely contacting areas of the headportion 10 and disc 12, as represented by the broken line showings ofFigure 1, whereby a large number of the cards may be associated with theholder in a fan-shaped, partially-overlapping correlation thataccommodates visual identification of the individual cards andconvenient shift, insertion, or removal of any one thereof. The annularprojection of the head portion 10 peripherally of and beyond the disc 12provides a stop and guide against which the portion of a card to bemounted in the holder may be initially engaged and along which the edgeof the card may be moved and guided beneath, and subject to thefrictional grip of, the disc, and the annular exposure of said discbeyond the plate 13 provides a readily-yieldable and highly flexibleperipheral disc zone whereunder the card edges engage readily duringinitial insertion and through which said card edges move freely intomore secure engagement under the disc zone covered by the plate 13. Theadherescent properties of the disc 12 as applied, perhaps variably, tothe cards through, the pressure of the plate 13 provide a grip on thecard portions exposed thereto that operates to securely position andhold the individual cards in their assigned dispositions and theresilience of said disc readily accommodates'insertion and removal ofthe individual cards without disturbance of the adjacent like elements.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction,and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood asbeing limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than byany details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. A card holder comprising a flat, substantially-rigid member formedwith a circular head portion and an integralhandle portion extendingradially therefrom, a disc of resiliently-compressible material looselyand concentrically overlying one face of said head portion in a diameterless than that of the latter, a flat, substantiallyrigid, circular plateloosely and concentrically overlying the face of said disc remote fromsaid head portion in a diameter less than that of said disc, and afastenercen- 4 trally through said head portion, disc, and plate in suchend-bearing engagement with the opposite exposed faces of the headportion and plate as to slightly compress the disc area engaged by theplate.

2. A card holder comprising a fiat, substantially-rigid member formedwith a circular head portion and an integral handle portion extendingradially therefrom, a disc of resiliently-compressible material looselyand concentrically overlying one face of said head portion in a diameterless than that of the latter, a flat, substantiallyrigid, circular plateloosely and concentrically overlying the face of said disc remote fromsaid head portion in a diameter less than that of said disc, and alength-adjustable fastener centrally through and revolubly intersecuringsaid head portion, disc, and plate.

3. The organization according to claim 2, wherein said disc isrelatively thick and is characterized by a high coeflicient of friction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,286,780 Ribeyre Dec. 13, 1918 2,564,315 Stark et a1. Aug. 14, 19512,729,452 Baumann Jan. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,060 Great Britain A.D. 1904 7,992 Great Britain A. D. 1908 43,047 Switzerland Apr. 9, 1908925,407 France Mar. 31, 1947

